Ukrainian law-makers and high level decision makers participated in a study visit in Vienna, Austria from 23 to 26 October 2016. The visit was organised in the framework of the “Further Support for Penitentiary Reform in Ukraine 2015-2017” project which is funded through the Programmatic Cooperation Framework of the European Union and the Council of Europe for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus.

The visit aimed to provide the participants with a closer insight into the institutional and organisational arrangements for the provision of healthcare services in Austrian prisons (including primary and in-patient services). Examples of practices and lessons learnt from other European jurisdictions were expected to inspire and facilitate initiatives in reforming the healthcare services for inmates in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian delegation, among other visitors, included the members of the Parliament, Chair of the Sub-Committee on State Penitentiary Service of the Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement, Chair of the Committee on Healthcare Issues, and the First Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine.

A two-day work programme covered a range of topics, such as the Council of Europe’s standards of prison healthcare, safeguards for professional independence of prison doctors, confidentiality of access to inmates’ medical history, suicide prevention policies, mental healthcare and forensic service. Admittedly, the tour through the largest prison in Vienna Justizanstalt Josefstadt provokes many questions to the Chief Doctor and his colleagues and generated a lively discussion and the food for thought for Ukrainian policy and opinion-makers.